Freshfields Adds M&A Partner Steven Li in New York

Freshfields announced today that Steven Li has joined the firm’s M&A group in New York.

Steven’s practice focuses on advising public and private companies in a variety of merger and acquisition transactions, including domestic and cross-border acquisitions and divestitures, negotiated and unsolicited transactions, carve-out transactions, minority investments and spin-offs. He also advises clients on activism defense and corporate governance.

Freshfields’ Co-Head of US M&A Ethan Klingsberg noted, “Steven is an exceptional lawyer, and we are thrilled to have him join our high energy team.”

Steven added: “Freshfields' US M&A practice has proven itself to be a force in the market, and what they have accomplished is truly impressive. I am excited to join the team, and I look forward to growing my practice with the firm.”

Steven joins a team ranked the number one cross-border M&A legal advisor for 2023 by value in the year-end Bloomberg league tables. Bloomberg also ranked Freshfields eighth in the US for deal value with deals totaling $194.8 billion and in the top 10 for US announced M&A representing principals. Among the transactions led by our US M&A team in 2023 were Coupa’s $8 billion sale to Thoma Bravo, the Independent Directors Committee in the $12.5 billion sale of Qualtrics (also one of the largest PE buyouts of the year), Roivant on its $7.1 billion sale of Telavant to Roche and AstraZeneca on its $1.1 billion acquisition of Icosavax and its $1.2 billion acquisition of Gracell.